Growing Herbs Indoors in Pots. Know What Indoor Herbs to Start With

Growing Herbs Indoors. Is it Possible?

The answer is yes! Growing herbs indoors is very possible. Quite a few herbs will grow well inside as herbs, unlike vegetables, don't need a lot of light to grow successfully. In fact, chervil is a herb that will grow better indoors than outdoors. However, that is not to say that your herbs will grow well in some dark, forgotten corner.  Herbs must have some light, reflected sunlight or warmth on them for some part of the day.

When growing herbs in pots inside it is best to establish them in spring. You can buy smaller plants already potted for you from your local nursery, but if you wish to encourage growth re-pot them into a larger container. The ideal place to grow your herbs is in the kitchen on a window sill that is away from the steam and cooking of a hot stove. Above the sink is perfect because you never forget to water them! However, if you have a sunroom, atrium or solarium herbs will grow equally well there too.

Of course, if you have a window box these are also perfect for growing herbs indoors. These can be suspended either inside, or outside, but remember that some herbs like basil are frost-tender and if you live in a cold climate it is best to grow this herb indoors.

 What Herbs to Use for Growing Herbs Indoors?

Make sure that you buy good, strong specimens from your nursery. Herbs should not be leggy or pot-bound. Chives, parsley, mint, marjoram, basil, thyme, lavender, woodruff, rosemary and chervil are all ideal herbs to grow indoors. Peppermint and rose-scented geraniums are also successfully grown indoors. Cress and mustard cress again are fine herbs for growing indoors.

Large plants that do better outdoors are borage, lovage, angelica, comfrey, horseradish and tansy.

The easiest of herbs to grow indoors is parsley, chives, lemon grass and Vietnamese coriander and Thai basil.

Other herbs like rosemary, oregano and thyme are more difficult because they really need a lot of light to grow successfully. Rosemary is difficult because it doesn't like wet feet on the one hand, but it also doesn't like being completely dry between waterings.

More difficult herbs for growing herbs in pots are Italian basil, sage, marjoram and cilantro because they are sensitive to being over-watered and also susceptible to diseases like mildew. Allow these plants to dry out between waterings.

If you are growing herbs in pots for the first time, start with the easy herbs first, and then progress to the more difficult ones, once you have the right growing conditions.

Conditioning your Plants and Growing Herbs Indoors

If you have purchased your plants from a nursery, chances are that your herbs have been growing outdoors. In order to acclimatise your plants you need to place them outside for a week in an area of low light.

After that, bring your plants inside for a day, and then return them to the low lighted area outside for another day. Increase the time that they spend inside before re-potting them. In this way, you are slowly acclimatising your plants to a life of low light which they may not have been used to in the past. If you don't do this you run the risk of shocking your plant whereby it will not recover, and it will die.

The Ideal Soil for Growing Herbs Indoors

Because your indoor herbs will be grown in pots and other containers they cannot search for any more nutrients than what you have already supplied them with. So therefore, your soil has to be top class. Do not use commercial potting mix.

The ideal soil can be made by taking 3 parts of good garden loam, 1 part of moistened peat moss, and 1 part coarse river sand. Added to this should be some well-rotted farmyard manure or compost.

In addition to your organic material, you can add the following to every 8 liters of soil:

1/2 cup Epsom salts

1/4 cup coffee grounds (rinse them clean)

4 egg shells (dried and crushed to powder)

To get air into your soil and to make it lighter, add some granular polystyrene. A couple of cupfuls to your containers should be enough. Adjust according to the size of the container, but can make up 1/3 of the volume. Don't add too much as it is a water-repellent, and unless you add extra peat moss, you will find that your soil will dry out quicker than you want.

Finally I always add a good handful of blood and bone to give the herbs a good start in their pots.

Ideal Containers to Use when Growing Herbs Indoors

As already mentioned, window boxes are ideal containers for indoor herbs. These can be either wooden, terracotta or plastic, each of which will result in you having to water differently. Terracotta does not retain moisture very well, and as such you will have to water your herbs more often that you would if there were in a plastic container.

To create humidity it is better if you stand your window box in a tray that is layered with gravel, crocks or small stones. Make sure that your window box or any other container that you use has drainage holes. If it doesn't you will have to make them. These should be spaced 5-8 inches apart. To prevent the soil from escaping out of the bottom, line the window sill or container with fine wire netting first or place a layer of stones larger than the holes at the bottom.

If you are growing herbs pots with their own saucers make sure that you have a layer of small stones, crocks or gravel between the pot and the saucer. This is to ensure raising the humidity level but also to prevent the pots becoming water-logged. At no time should the herbs be sitting in pools of water for any length of time. Water until the water drips out, then throw the excess water away in the saucer. Don't over water.

Growing Herbs Indoors, Conclusion

From time to time, if it is at all possible, move your indoor herbs outdoors to get some fresh air and a little indirect sunshine. Don't over-expose them to the strong sunlight as they won't be used to this and could burn. However, a little bit of dapple light or indirect light will be just the thing to give them a little boost and to keep disease down.

Growing Kits for Growing Herbs Indoors

You can Add your own Ideas on Growing Herbs Indoors Here!

We have lots of pages where you can contribute to throughout this homesteading website. We love hearing from our readers, and hope you will be one of those we hear from too. Look around our homesteading website. If you have any tips, advice or additional information that you would like to share on growing herbs indoors, please send it in! All you need to do is type and we will do the rest.